Jay Triano: Learning from Steve Nash, Practicing in a Parking Lot & Fun is Fundamental

About this episode

Jay Triano discusses his extensive experience in sports and shares insights on youth sports and coaching.

Jay Triano has spent almost all of his 67 years in sport. He's a former captain of Canada's Men's Basketball Team, the first Canadian head coach in NBA history with the Toronto Raptors, and a current assistant with the Dallas Mavericks. He's also the son of a high school basketball coach and the father of three kids who all played youth sports, which means he's seen every side of the equation. In this conversation, Jay draws direct lines between how he was raised in sport in Niagara Falls and the NBA coach he became. He talks about playing basketball, volleyball, baseball and track until he was nearly 18, why Steve Nash never acted like the best player in the room despite being exactly that, and what a parking lot practice with no hoops taught him about fundamentals that individual skill sessions never could. Jay is direct about what he sees wrong in youth sports today: parent-driven environments that prioritize exposure over development, social media that skips all the steps, and a growing culture of selfish play filtering down from the professional game. And he's equally clear about the fix: fun, teamwork, open communication, and coaches who understand that they're coaching…

People in this episode

Host: Scott Rintoul

Guest: Jay Triano

Topics covered

• youth sports
• basketball
• coaching
• parenting
• teamwork
• development

Keywords

• Jay Triano
• Steve Nash
• youth sports
• basketball coaching
• teamwork
• fundamentals
• parenting

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Canada's Men's Basketball Team, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks

More episodes of Better Sports Parents

• Worth Repeating: Jesse Marsch on How Parents and Coaches Can Create a Positive Environment · June 12, 2026 · 14 min
• Worth Repeating: Andrew Ladd on Teaching Skills that go Far Beyond Hockey · June 5, 2026 · 14 min
• Brock McGillis: The Locker Room Should Be Disneyland, Vulnerable is Brave & Why Words Matter · June 2, 2026 · 1h 11m
• Worth Repeating: Ross Gurney on Enjoying Youth Sports for What They Are · May 29, 2026 · 13 min
• Chris Pronger: · May 26, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Worth Repeating: Will Loftus on the Impact of Coaching · May 22, 2026 · 14 min